Three weeks have passed since 6-year-old Sioreli Torres Zamora was struck and killed by a car while crossing Bay Road on her way to school. Her mother and two siblings were just steps behind. Stunned and angered, many East Palo Alto residents are pressing elected officials to make the city safer for pedestrians.

More than 100 people packed St. Francis of Assisi Church for an informal community meeting with City Council members and other officials. Those who spoke at the Oct. 12 gathering said they were frustrated by traffic conditions they considered dangerous.

The meeting came almost two weeks after at least 100 people, including children, marched to the East Palo Alto Police headquarters, holding pictures of Sioreli.

Community members were also invited to express their views at an Oct. 4 City Council meeting. Eighteen speakers, given two minutes each, called for a variety of steps: the installation of pavement-activated lights and more traffic-safety signs, the hiring of additional crossing guards in school zones, and stepped-up police enforcement. “We have to go back in history and figure out where we made a right, when we should have made a left,” said Leland Francois, one of the speakers.Continue Reading >>